Sunday 14 June 2015

Mini Dumplings + Lemon Bars + Stuffed Roti: 6-12 June 2015.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful




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this week, it has been hot.
really hot. proper summer has arrived at last, alhamdulillah.
oh, but wait. now it's the weekend and the skies are grey, the wind a little chillier, welcome to England.

the weekend began with spicy eggs, melon baskets and plenty of teeny-tiny dumplings. it continued with waffles, toasted sandwiches and rice galore.

on Monday, I made the greenest (and shockingly) most delicious salad ever. also, there were pakoras which were stirred into the classic kari.

Wednesday was super busy and very hot with the most beautiful blue skies ever. in no particular order, out of the kitchen came, cinnamon toast, lemon bars, fishcakes, the most addictive salsa and my new favourite dinner.

on Thursday, summer continued with rockets, more grilled chicken plus I shared this recipe with you guys. the most blessed day of the week ended said week with berries aplenty and a stuffed keema roti.

wow, we have been busy. it's only when I scroll through the pictures that I realize. 
also, Ramadan is less than a few days away so plenty of prep has been happening for it. we haven't really prepped in terms of food - this year, we are hoping to cook fresh on the day in the hope that it'll make us eat better. I don't know about you but if there are samosas and the like in the freezer, then I'm actually tempted to eat them. them not being there will hopefully encourage us to try fresher, better things.


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something I read this week, and loved, was this:

While becoming a Muslim is the result of testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship besides Allah and that Muhammad (saw) is His slave and Messenger, actually being a Muslim is not accomplished by an single act, no matter how great or how small.
Rather, being a Muslim is a continuous process of self-improvement, an ongoing search for knowledge and wisdom, a constant exercise in self-critique, humility and striving for the love of Allah through word and deed.
Once we have reached a certain point in our Islamic practise, it is so easy to forget that there are still improvements to be made, still flaws to be worked on, still temptations to be warded off and that, while certain battles may have been won, the war is far from over.

{Na'ima B. Robert}

here are more highlights from my week:

 the weekend began with eggs being cracked.
and the delicious smell of frying onions wafting through the kitchen.
tomatoes and spices were added.
along with the eggs and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (a suggestion from one of you!) and Mum's spicy scrambled eggs were ready.
later, snacking on fresh melon, grapes and peaches.
served in melon pots!
then, I cooked up a batch of this minced lamb filling.
made a quick dumpling dough.
filled, pan-fried and steamed them.
so good - these disappeared in seconds.
I'll be sharing the recipe soon, Insha Allah, as soon as I've shot them with a chicken filling. the lamb was good but with chicken, these are even better.
later, with the remaining dough, I made mini dumplings.
these were so cute: one bite and they were gone!
this time, we steamed them though and served with my favourite soy chilli dipping sauce.
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Sunday morning breakfast scenes - eggs and a batch of potato waffles made with plain flour + milk + eggs + grated potato + seasoning + baking powder.
managed to pull this out of the cupboard.
breakfast time!
another machine pulled out of the cupboard at lunch - the grill.
I'll be sharing the recipe soon, Insha Allah. also, how delicious are the burnt cheesy bits at the edge of a grilled cheese sandwich?! I think they're the best part.
for dinner, plenty of ingredients.
to make rice!
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lunch on Monday - a green salad with peas and lettuce.
the salad needed chives which we picked from the garden. how pretty are the chive flowers?
peas are quickly boiled in hot water and then rinsed with cold. a dressing is made with rapeseed oil + lemon zest + lemon juice + English mustard + honey + fresh chives + salt + pepper.
onto a platter goes, lettuce.
followed by peas which have been tossed with half of the dressing.
the rest of the dressing is then poured over.
finally, a scattering of pine nuts and chopped chives.
and, we're done!
served with leftover rice for a lovely lunch.
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 Tuesday's in June.
the first of many beautiful days this week.
vegetable pakora kari with roti for dinner.
followed by a slice of ice cream roll with the sweetest strawberries.
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Wednesday morning with another blue sky.
have you ever tried cinnamon toast? this was the first time I made it - mix together softened butter + ground cinnamon + sugar + vanilla.
spread liberally onto slices of bread.
pop onto a lined baking tray to go into the oven.
the tray goes into a 180C oven for 10 minutes. then place under a hot grill until bubbly and golden.
and we're done!
try it - the original recipe is here.
also, I still can't believe I switched the oven on on one of the most hottest day of the year.
the herbs are doing fantastic though.
fresh mint - delicious stirred into chutney, yoghurt sauces and salads.
fresh basil - wonderful with anything tomato.
scenes from lunch included sardines.
spring onions.
and, this salsa which we have practically been inhaling with anything and everything.

I made fishcakes which I'll be sharing with you very soon, Insha Allah.
Update: Here is the recipe!

also, couldn't resist vanilla ice cream + waffle cone + sprinkles in the garden.
I baked lemon bars today. have you ever eaten them? oh my days, they are delicious. 
a simple shortbread is made with unsalted butter + sugar + plain flour + salt.
it's pressed in and up the sides of a square baking dish.
it chills in the fridge for about 30 minutes before being baked for about 20 minutes until golden.
then, the crust cools slightly whilst we whisk together the filling with eggs + sugar + lemon zest + lemon juice + plain flour.
the filling is poured in.
and, the whole thing is baked until just set.

let it cool.

before slicing, dusting with icing sugar and eating! the original recipe I used is here.
dinner things!
guys, this is my new favourite dinner. we ate it twice this week and I'll be sharing it v.soon, Insha Allah.
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 Thursday morning and this is the result of the lemon bars from yesterday. nothing is safe in this house! 
summer continued today with rockets.
and strawberry ices.
you can't beat an English summer's day.
dinner things again.
yep, it's those noodles again. they're addictive, I tell you.
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the most blessed day of the week arrived.
and my Mother made a stuffed roti. similar to a paratha but without the butter in the centre.
simply roll two thin rotis out and place cold keema curry in the middle. cook as you would a roti and then spread with butter - serve with yoghurt to dip.

finally, summer is definitely here when our house is full of berries!
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this time one year ago:
Dunking Doughnuts + Jersey Royals + Peach Pavlova

on the blog these days:
Choux Pastry Attempt + June Trifle + Ramadan Prep

Salmon Potato Salad with Radishes

 a few of my favourite links from around the web this week:

1. avoid burnout during Ramadan --> 5 beneficial tips.
2. challah bread --> definitely on my to-bake list.
3. cheese stuffed cheesy meatballs --> yum, yum and yum.
4. mars crunch lazy cake --> wow, this is dangerous.
5. cauliflower falafel veggie burger --> to cancel out the calories above.
6. chicken pilau --> can't beat it.
7. salted caramel chocolate peanut oat cookies --> what?!
8. snacking on the go --> more good advice.
9. kit kat barrel cake --> kit kats!!
10. unicorn strawberry cake --> woah.
11. tasbihaat to recite --> along with their rewards.
12. the fasting and the fit --> Ramadan's physiological and lifestyle-changing benefits.


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have a beautiful week everyone - bake lemon bars for your mother, focus more on your Salah and read more Quran than usual,

Wasalaam!


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